An obsessive scholar who rescued Iceland’s ancient literary legacy

Re:An obsessive scholar who rescued Iceland’s ancient litera... by MaxBarraclough on Wednesday May 12, 2021 @06:52AM (#27128813)

Off topic, but I'm reminded of this recent comment [0] on how obsessive seems to have become a compliment.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27121281

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:An obsessive scholar who rescued Iceland’s ancient litera... by wccrawford on Wednesday May 12, 2021 @08:59AM (#27129792)

I think when bad things have good qualities, people still admire those good qualities while being wary of the bad ones.

In this case, obsessive means that they put in effort that others wouldn't. It could lead to ruin, or it could reward them greatly.

The bad part is the lack of detachment that lets them think about it logically, instead of being forced to just do it. Reward or ruin, they're going to do it either way.

[ Parent | on HN ]